TRENTON, N.J.—The special counsel for a New Jersey legislative panel investigating a political payback scandal surrounding Gov. Chris Christie’s office says the state probe won’t impede an ongoing federal investigation.

Reid Schar, the lawyer for the joint legislative committee, said he discussed the parallel investigations with officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Friday. Schar said Saturday he’s comfortable the state investigation can continue.

Both entities are looking into traffic lane closings near the George Washington Bridge apparently orchestrated by former top aides for Christie. Four people close to the Republican governor and possible 2016 presidential candidate have resigned or been fired over the scandal.

Subpoenas are due back to the state panel Monday, though committee Chairman John Wisniewski (Wiz-NOO-skee) says almost all the subpoena recipients have asked for more time.

As you comment, please be respectful of other commenters and other viewpoints. Our goal with article comments is to provide a space for civil, informative and constructive conversations. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be defamatory, rude, insulting to others, hateful, off-topic or reckless to the community. See our full terms of use here.

More in News

A wintry mix is threatening to make the next few days interesting for Twin Cities drivers. The National Weather Service is predicting multiple rounds of light snow and freezing rain starting early Sunday morning and continuing through midday Tuesday. Clouds will settle in Sunday, bringing a 30 percent chance of snow before noon and a high near 39. By midnight,...

Hundreds of participants took the polar plunge Saturday at Prior Lake to raise money for the Special Olympics. The annual event, sponsored by Special Olympics Minnesota and local law enforcement, raised $158,179 towards programming and events for more than 8,200 special needs athletes statewide. The total was down from last year’s event that raised $192,258. The 568 participants that registered online raised...

Last month, a New Brighton commissioner wrote a letter to the editor of the New Brighton Bulletin questioning the motives of the former city council to change elections from odd years to even years. On Tuesday, the commissioner lost his volunteer position because of that letter. The council voted 3-2 to remove Ben Jones from the planning commission. Council members...

HALLOCK, Minn. — It was an improbable romance between strangers in a faraway place. Nathan Younggren was a 25-year-old farmer who raised wheat, soybeans and beef cattle with his family near Hallock. Victoria “Tori” Allen was a 28-year-old former ski bum and advertising rep who lived in Colorado. He played rock music in a cover band, and she was a...

State health officials say three more children have died of complications of the flu, bringing the number of Minnesota children who have died of influenza this season to four. The number of Minnesotans hospitalized with flu symptoms has topped 4,200. That’s the highest number since the Minnesota Department of Health began tracking flu hospitalizations in 2008. Preliminary figures released Thursday...